Giorgio Armani factory walkout in protest against mass lay-offs

The restructuring of the Giorgio Armani fashion group is in full swing, and it will not be a painless affair. The first sign came on Thursday, when workers at the Giorgio Armani Operations factory in Settimo Torinese, close to Turin, staged a two-hour walkout in protest against massive job cuts.

Local media highlighted how part of the factory's output was delocalised to Bulgaria in the last few years. Two years ago, so-called social solidarity contracts were then introduced, with reduced working hours and salary cuts.

The factory's output notably consists of men's sleeved items for Armani Collezioni, the label's classic collection which, together with Armani Jeans, is set to merge with Emporio Armani, the luxury label's young line.

Last February, Giorgio Armani announced in fact a streamlining of its range into three clearly differentiated segments, eventually leading to a reorganisation of its brand portfolio and the confluence of several lines into Emporio Armani.

Giorgio Armani Operations employees are expected to stage further demonstrations in the next few days.